


Flower Feud

by Tharxmolemow



Category: Kingdom Hearts
Genre: Alternate Universe - Flower Shop, Author Is A Tired Wreck, Comedy, Enemies to Lovers, M/M, Meddling, Stubborn Boys Are Stubborn
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-27
Updated: 2019-11-19
Packaged: 2020-09-28 02:40:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,561
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20418533
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tharxmolemow/pseuds/Tharxmolemow
Summary: Stifling your crush on your worst enemy is hard when your brother keeps trying to set the two of you up. Roxas and Vanitas would know.A.k.a. the one where Rox and Vani run rival flower shops and insult each other constantly while also accidentally falling for each other.





	1. Sora's Plan

**Author's Note:**

> This started as a shitpost wtf happened.
> 
> It WaS oNlY a JoKe HoW dId It EnD uP lIkE tHis

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sora tries to make things right with Roxas, but it doesn't go the way he'd hoped.

Roxas hummed softly to himself, swaying to the tune as he delicately set each flower in its place. He smiled brightly and clapped his hands when he finished, admiring the display he’d created. It was vivid, vibrant, and (most importantly) visible from across the street. To the average customer, the arrangement of orange lilies was simply a display of some of the beauties his flower shop had to offer. To someone who was proficient in the meanings of flowers, however, Roxas may as well have hung a giant “Fuck You” sign in his window. 

“So, when are you gonna stop wasting time with this flower nonsense and make out with him?” 

Roxas jumped, the sound of his brother’s voice bringing an end to his happy moment. 

“What the hell are you talking about, Ven?”

“Give it a rest, will ya? We both know you have a crush on the emo flower boy, so stop picking fights with him and tell him you like him!” 

“The only thing I want to crush is his skull.”

Roxas rolled his eyes, getting back to work and pointedly ignoring Ventus. He had no idea how his brother got it into his head that he had a thing for Vanitas, the jackass that opened up a flower shop _ right across the street _from their own, but it seemed to be the only thing Ventus talked about anymore. 

_ “Just tell him how you feel.” _

_ “You could always apologize first, you know.” _

_ “I promise he likes you back.” _

It was beyond annoying. Roxas didn’t know how to make it any clearer that he hated Vanitas. So what if the guy was the most attractive person he’d ever seen in his life with an attitude and twisted sense of humor that matched his own and a voice that made his heart melt? A rival was a rival, and rivals needed to be destroyed. 

“One of these days, you’re going to crack,” Ventus declared. 

“You’re _ on _crack.”

“Stop that! Roxas, this man is the only other person on this planet who is as much of an asshole as you with as much useless flower knowledge. You were made for each other.”

“That didn’t convince me the last five times you said it, and it’s not convincing me now.” 

No matter what Ventus said, Roxas would not be swayed. He’d take this grudge to his grave. That is, if his heart would hurry up and get on board with his brain.

"Whatever. I'm gonna make this delivery now, but when I get back this isn't over." 

"It's fine, I've gotten good at ignoring you anyways." 

"Jerk." 

"Brat." 

"Stupid head."

"Hey, that was uncalled for!"

"Your face is uncalled for." 

"We have the same face!" 

Roxas groaned when Ventus stuck his tongue out at him and left. No matter how old they got, some things never changed between them. 

Was one day of peace too much to ask for?

* * *

Vanitas clenched his fists and growled as he glared at the display across the street. 

“Uh-oh, what’d he do this time?” Sora asked from behind him. 

“Same thing as always. Somehow he manages to be a complete dick in the most beautiful way possible.”

Sora tried hard not to laugh at his brother, but it was hard when Vani went and said things like _ that_. 

“You know, if you just said you were sorry and explained that this all started with a misunderstanding, I’m sure he’d forgive you.” 

“Who said I wanted his forgiveness?” Vanitas snapped at the suggestion. 

“Oh please, you think I don’t see you going all doe-eyed every time you look at him? You obviously like him, so man up and apologize to him already.”

“Apologize for what? This was all your fault, not mine.”

“I may have messed up, but you’re the one that let it go this far.” 

Sora was getting tired of Vanitas trying to blame this whole situation on him. Sora was a nice person, so when Vanitas asked him to help him get his flower shop running, he agreed without hesitation. He hadn’t known a single thing about flowers other than that they were pretty and they smelled nice, but he didn’t think that would be a problem. 

How was he supposed to know that the display he threw together on the first day when Vani had passed out in the back room was actually flower speak for a declaration of war?

He couldn’t blame Roxas for assuming it was intentional. Who on earth would assume that their business competitor challenging them _ wasn’t _intentional? Sora could, however, blame Vanitas for getting angry when Roxas responded with an insulting display of his own and retaliating with an even worse one. 

“I wouldn’t have to go this far if he would just give up already. Someone’s gotta put that brat in his place.”

Sora groaned and smacked his head against the front counter. And people called _ him _the dense one. “You don’t want him to give up. You like him because he stands up to you.”

“What?” Vanitas all but hissed. 

“He’s stubborn like you, and you like it. Tell me I’m wrong.” Sora leaned back, putting his hands behind his head and grinning smugly. It wasn’t often that Sora managed to render his brother speechless, so watching the older boy stuttering and trying to think of an argument was greatly satisfying. 

“How I feel doesn’t matter. He hates me,” Vanitas answered after a minute. 

“You don’t know that! You’re just making excuses.”

“He flips me off every time we make eye contact!”

“Well if you won’t apologize to him, then I’ll just have to do it for you,” Sora declared. 

“What does that even mean?”

“You’ll see.”

With perfect timing, a customer walked in, taking Vanitas’s attention off of Sora. Once his brother was occupied, Sora slipped into the back room, grabbed the vase he’d prepared the night before, and snuck out the back door. 

After walking around to the front of the shop, Sora threw a quick glance over his shoulder to make sure Vanitas still wasn’t looking, then headed into the store across the street. 

“Good afternoon! Welcome to—Sora?” Roxas cut his generic greeting short upon seeing who it was. 

Despite the rivalry between their shops, Roxas and Sora got along well. In fact, Sora dared to call them friends. When Roxas wasn’t screaming insults across the street or using flowers to achieve the same effect, he was actually a really sweet guy. He even helped fix up the flower arrangements Sora does himself sometimes before he delivers them, so long as he promises not to tell Vanitas. Why Roxas didn’t want Vanitas to know that he was being kind and doing their shop a favor, Sora would never understand.

_ “I like you, so I can’t let you deliver an improper arrangement; but I don’t want him thinking I’m doing it for him, got it!” _was what Roxas had said last time. 

“I brought you something,” Sora announced cheerily, plopping the vase down on the counter where Roxas stood. He’d used a photo of one of the arrangements Vani’d made as a reference to make the perfect “I’m sorry” bouquet. If someone gave them to him, he would absolutely forgive them. 

“Don’t take this the wrong way but...why?” Roxas eyed him in confusion. 

“Vani was too chicken to bring it over himself, but he wanted to give you this,” Sora lied. “He’s sorry for being so mean to you since we set up here.”

Roxas scrutinized the arrangement, then sighed and looked up at Sora with a fond smile. “I can tell you made this, Sora. I’m sorry you got caught in the middle of this feud, but until your brother admits he’s in the wrong, I’m not backing down.” 

Sora was momentarily shocked. “H-How could you tell?” Maybe it was just because Roxas didn’t believe that Vanitas would be sorry. There was no way he could have figured it out just by looking at the arrangement, could he? Sora had followed the picture _ exactly. _

“It just looked...different. It’s hard to explain, but Vanitas’s arrangements all have a certain quality to them that makes it obvious he made them. Kind of like an artist’s signature,” Roxas explained. 

“Oh.” Sora could feel his brain melting. How was that even possible? They were just flowers for crying out loud. _ Wait a minute_. Sora smirked. “So you must pay _ really _close attention to him then, huh?” 

It only lasted for a second, but Sora didn’t miss the flash of panic in Roxas’s eyes. 

“Oh, uh, you know. Friends close, enemies closer, right?” the blond laughed awkwardly. 

“Sure. Or, you think Vani is really good at what he does and you like admiring his work.” 

Sora wished he'd had his camera out to record how quickly Roxas’s entire face went red. Then he could've had visual proof for his brother that Roxas liked him. 

“I’m sure if you came over sometime, he’d love to show you up close and personal,” Sora continued. If he could only get Roxas and Vanitas to have a real conversation with each other, he knew they’d be together by the end of it. He just knew it! 

Roxas shook his head. “I know you want us to stop fighting, but the fact of the matter is that he hates me, and I’m not too fond of him. I’m sorry.” 

“And I can’t change your mind?” 

“Not a chance.”

“Alright,” Sora murmured dejectedly. He wasn’t one to give up, but he knew when it was time to make a tactical retreat. It would be rude to intrude in Roxas’s shop any longer. “Bye Roxas.”

“See you, Sora.” 

Sora waved over his shoulder as he left. He didn’t bother sneaking back into his brother’s shop, instead opting to barge through the front entrance and slam both his hands on the counter, causing Vanitas to startle. Thankfully the customer had left.

“What was that for?” Vanitas questioned irritably. 

“You _ have _to ask Roxas out!” Sora shouted. “You just have to!”

“Huh? Sora, did you hit your head or something? Wait, when did you even leave?” Vanitas couldn’t keep up with what was happening. 

“That doesn’t matter! What matters is that he thinks you’re amazing and he likes watching you and he gets all flustered when he talks about you because he likes you! He _ likes _likes you, but he won’t do anything about it because you’re so mean all the time, so you have to ask him out right now!” Sora blurted everything so fast Vani could only make out half of what he was saying, and he was out of breath by the end of it.

“What, you want me to just walk over there right now and ask him to go on a date with me?” 

“Yes!” Sora’s throat was going to hurt tomorrow after all this yelling. 

“That was sarcasm.” Vanitas facepalmed. “I’m not doing that. What makes you think all that crap anyways?” 

“It’s not crap, it’s the truth. I talked to him myself.” Sora huffed and crossed his arms. 

“And he told you this?”

“No. But he didn’t deny it when I said it, and he even got all embarrassed. Please Vani, you two are so perfect for each other. I can’t watch you lose him like this.” Sora didn’t care if he was starting to sound desperate. People like Roxas came around once every other _ lifetime_, and Sora would never forgive himself if he sat by and watched Vanitas let him get away.

“Can’t lose something you never had.” Vanitas shrugged. “I’m telling you, there is no way he likes me after everything I’ve pulled. Just...let it go. Please.”

Sora frowned. This was the biggest breakthrough he’s ever gotten. Not only did he confirm how Roxas felt, but he finally got Vanitas to take some darn responsibility for his actions. All that was useless if he couldn’t get Vanitas to do something about it, though. Still, Sora could tell that pushing his brother right now would only make things worse, so he resigned himself to let it go for the time being. 

“Have it your way, then. I need some air,” Sora said dismissively. 

He walked outside, his head hanging, and wandered down the street. Sora needed to not be around Vanitas right now before he punched him in the face. He was so lost in thought, he wasn’t looking where he was going, and he accidentally walked right into somebody. 

“I’m so sorry, are you okay? Wait...oh, hi Sora!” 

Sora looked forwards to see a very cheery blond smiling widely at him. _ Oh. Ventus. _

“Hey Ven! Sorry for walking into you like that,” Sora apologized. 

“Don’t worry about it, it was my fault for spacing out while I was walking.” Ven laughed. “Actually, I’m glad I bumped into you. There’s something that’s been driving me crazy lately, and I’d really like it if I could talk to you about it.” 

“Really? Me?” Sora blinked in surprise. Ventus was another person that Sora considered a friend, but because of their business situation they didn’t spend much time together. He didn’t expect that Ven would ever choose to come to him with a problem. 

“Yeah, I don’t think anyone else would understand it,” Ventus said. “It’s about our idiot brothers.”

Sora lit up instantly, now fully invested in this conversation. “I would _ love _to talk about that.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm a slut for writing sibling interactions.


	2. Teaming Up

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sora and Ventus join forces to get their brothers together. Their plan may be a little better on paper than it is in action, though.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm just...a really slow writer.

“Finally, someone who knows my pain!” Sora exclaimed, throwing his arms in the air. He and Ventus were sitting in a café a little ways down the road from their shops. For nearly a full half hour, the two of them had been exchanging stories and complaints about the unnecessarily complicated situation their brothers had gotten into.

“It is so good knowing I’m not the only one who’s been going insane with this,” Ventus sighed, sounding relieved. “It’s not that I completely don’t get why Roxas is being so adamant about this. I know he’s afraid of putting his heart in someone else’s hands, especially since that someone is technically supposed to be our rival.” 

Sora frowned, but nodded in agreement. “I get it. I just wish I could prove to him somehow that he _ can _trust Vani. My brother may be a jerk, but he’s a good person. I know he would never ever do anything to hurt Roxas.”

Both boys groaned, idly sipping their coffee as they tried to think up some sort of solution. A few minutes passed by, and the silence began to grow uncomfortable.

“You know,” Sora spoke up, laughing slightly. “I actually did try to smooth things over a little earlier today. Although I think all I did was make Roxas upset.”

“What did you do?” Ven questioned. “Also how upset are we talking so I know what to expect when I head back?” 

Blushing slightly at the memory, Sora explained what had happened shortly before he’d run into Ventus. By the end of it, Ven was gaping at him in shock. 

“You’re joking. There is no way he could tell just by looking at it.” Ven could hardly believe what he heard. 

“That’s what I thought at first, but he was being serious,” Sora said. 

“How far gone do you have to be for somebody to pay that close attention?” Ven buried his face in his hands, his head exploding from this new knowledge. “How can I share the same DNA as someone so embarrassing?” 

“There there.” Sora patted Ven’s shoulder. “Honestly the worst part of all this is that they’re both convinced the other hates them. I’ve given up trying to get Vani to see how much Roxas likes him, but if I could at least get him to stop assuming he _hates_ him, maybe Vani wouldn’t be so scared of apologizing…” 

Ventus nodded along slowly at first, then shot up as if a light bulb clicked on his head. “Wait...Sora, you’re a genius! All we have to do is make your brother believe that mine doesn’t hate him!”

For a brief moment Sora’s brain lagged on the words “you’re a genius.” That was something he definitely didn’t hear a lot. “How on earth are we supposed to do that?” he asked once he caught up with the rest of what Ven said. 

“What if I did something like what you did? If I could get Vanitas to think I’m Roxas, and I tried being nice to him…”

“Then he would stop thinking Roxas hates him! Ventus, _ you’re _a genius.”

The pair spent the next few minutes coming up with a plan, then agreed that they should return to their shops before their brothers got too suspicious. Tomorrow they would commence their operation to get the idiots together. 

**...**

“Well? How do I look?” Ventus asked. 

“Like if I ran into you on the street, I would think you were Roxas,” Sora answered. 

The two of them were standing outside of Vanitas’s shop, trying to keep their interaction brief before Roxas looked over and noticed them. 

“Good.” Ven grinned. Sneaking one of Roxas’s outfits with him into work and then dressing into it without running into him wasn’t the easiest thing Ventus had ever done, but so far the plan was going smoothly. “Guess it’s go time.”

“Good luck in there,” Sora said. “Being nice to Vanitas is easier said than done.”

Ventus laughed. “I think I can manage.”

With that, he stepped into the shop.

* * *

Vanitas was in the middle of putting together an order when he heard the bell at the front of his shop ringing, signaling that someone was coming in. For once, he actually hoped it was only Sora. He’d need at least another five or six minutes to finish these arrangements, and it was still half an hour before the guy who’d ordered them was supposed to come pick them. Considering what happened last time Vani was left to deal with an impatient customer on his own...well, he didn’t want to think about that. 

When he slipped into the front of the shop, he was surprised to see Ventus at the counter. Vanitas hardly ever talked to, or even saw the older twin. He couldn’t imagine why he would be here right now. 

“Um, can I help you?” Vanitas asked. Now that he was looking closely, Ventus looked...off. Wasn’t that Roxas’s shirt he was wearing? _ I’m not getting them mixed up, am I? _

“Yes, actually. There’s something I’d really like it if you did.” Okay, so this was definitely Ventus. His voice confirmed it.

“Okay?” Vanitas wasn’t usually one to act timid, but he was so damn _ confused _he didn’t know how to respond.

“Forgive me.” _ Forgive him? For what? _“Look, I was just angry when I put all those displays up, okay? I didn’t realize it was actually hurting your feelings.”

“Hey, I’m not five. It didn't ‘hurt my feelings’ or anything,” Vanitas said defensively. He still had no clue what the hell Ventus was getting at, but he wasn’t about to be talked to like a child. 

“Come on now. I talked to Sora, and I know you think I hate you—”

“So Sora put you up to this, then?” Vani interrupted. Suddenly, things were making sense.

“What? No! Sora told me that you think—”

“That your brother hates me, yeah I got that. Did Sora also tell you to dress up like this and act sorry so my ‘feelings’ won’t be hurt anymore?” Vanitas made it a point to throw all his annoyance into his last sentence. He could see the exact moment the look on Ven’s face shifted from confused to shocked. 

“Wait. You know I’m me?” Ven asked. 

“Ventus, do you take me for an idiot?” Vanitas answered with a question of his own. 

“Not anymore.” The blond shrugged. So much for the nice act. “Just tell me one thing. How’d you know?” 

“I have eyes?” Vanitas responded sarcastically. “I love to break it to you, Venty-Wenty: you and Roxas look nothing alike.” Ventus looked at him like he was crazy when he said that. 

“I..._what? _” Ventus almost looked like a fish with the way his eyes bulged and his mouth stuttered as he tried to find words. 

“It’s mostly the eyes. Roxas’s eyes are a prettier, deeper blue. Your voice is a dead give away, too.”

“No they’re not? And we have the same voice!” Ven exclaimed. Everything about the blond’s expression told Vanitas that he didn’t believe him. 

“Are you blind _ and _ deaf? His voice is so…” _ Smooth. Beautiful. Mesmerizing. Adorable when he’s angry. Fuckin' enchanting. _“...unique. Forget it. Just get out of my shop, unless you feel like buying something. And tell Sora to quit meddling.”

“Fine,” Ven sighed in resignation. “For what it’s worth, Roxas really does like you. A lot. You should talk to him sometime.” 

Vanitas didn’t know what to say, so he watched in silence as Ventus trudged out of his shop.

* * *

The second Ventus was out of the shop and out of Vanitas’s view, he let his composure snap. He spun in a circle and jumped up and down a few times to try and shake off his excitement; he screamed a few times as well, hoping no one heard it. He couldn’t help it. He didn’t know how else to process what just happened. 

His whole life, no one could tell Ventus apart from his brother. Not even their relatives. Heck, sometimes even their _ parents _ had to stare at them for a while before figuring it out. But Vanitas...how the hell did he do it? Everything that normally tipped people off to which twin they were talking to, Ventus was _ sure _he changed to make himself seem more like Roxas. So how? 

When Ventus reached his shop, he threw the door open so fast it banged into the wall, startling Roxas into nearly dropping the vase he was carrying. 

“What the hell, Ven!” Roxas shouted, turning to face him. The anger quickly faded to concern when he saw the frenzied look on Ven’s face. “Are you okay? You look like you’re about to combust. And why are you wearing my shirt?”

Ventus ignored his brother’s questions in favor of screaming, “You have to marry him!” 

“What?” Roxas set the vase down and approached Ventus cautiously. “Calm down, I can’t make out what you’re saying.”

“I _ said_,” Ven began, inhaling deeply and gripping Roxas by the shoulders. “You! Have! To! Marry! Him!” Each word was punctuated by a rough shake that left Roxas feeling dizzy. 

“Oh no, I always knew this day would come,” Roxas said once he gained his bearings. “You’ve finally gone completely insane.” 

“Roxas. For once in your life could you not be obnoxious for two seconds?” Ventus scowled. “I’m serious. This one is _ the _ one. I will pay for and plan the entire wedding if you want, you just _ have _to marry him.”

“For goodness sake, Ven! What are you even talking about?” This time Roxas was the one shaking Ven to try and get some sense out of him. 

“I’m talking about the guy across the street that can tell us apart without even trying to, when I’m actively pretending to be you, because he pays that close attention to you! He even noticed I was wearing your clothes.”

At this point, anyone looking in on the two of them would think they were trying to kill each other with all the shaking and yelling going on. 

“Heh?” 

“I am trying to tell you that Vanitas likes you, you big fat dummy!” Ven was starting to feel lightheaded from shouting. 

“Now look who’s being obnoxious. How many times do I have to tell you that I don’t want to talk about this?” Roxas said. 

“It’s different this time. This time I promise you he really is into you.”

“Funny, that sounds exactly like what you said all the other times.” 

“Did you even hear what I said earlier? You should have seen the look on his face when he was talking about your eyes and your voice. He's so smitten with you it’s honestly a little bit gross,” Ventus said, determined not to let Roxas drop the topic. He could still remember the way Vanitas’s whole expression softened the second he started talking about Roxas. He was pretty sure that was the first time he ever saw that guy smile. 

“H-He what?” 

Ventus smirked. For the first time he felt like he truly caught his brother’s attention. The pinkness on Roxas’s cheeks only added to his triumphant feelings. 

“I asked him how he knew I wasn’t you, and he started talking about your eyes and voice with this stupid far away look in his eyes and the dopiest smile I have ever seen. I don’t think he even realized he was doing it. Are you really still going to insist that this man doesn’t have a thing for you?” This had to be checkmate. There was no way Roxas was too stubborn to see how much Vanitas obviously liked him. 

“You know, Ven? You make up the wildest things when you want something,” was Roxas’s response. 

It took every ounce of Ventus’s willpower not to smack him upside the head. 

“No. I know what you're doing and you are _ not _ getting out of this right now. I _ just _saw how excited you got when I said he was talking about you. At this point you’re just in denial, and it’s getting old,” Ventus said accusingly. 

"If it’s really getting old, then why won’t you let it go already?” Roxas countered.

“Because for some reason I care about you, and I want you to be happy. Fighting over nothing with the guy you’ve been crushing on since he moved here? That’s not going to make you happy.” Ventus spoke calmly, hoping his tone would convey exactly how serious he was. “This war you’ve got going on isn’t a game, Roxy. It’s hurting him. He thinks you _ hate _him.”

For a second, Roxas looked guilty and sad, even regretful. It was only for a second, though, before his face hardened again. 

“Good. At least someone has an accurate understanding of how I feel about him.” Roxas’s voice was so cold when he spoke, it sent a chill down Ven’s spine. That wasn't enough to deter him, though.

“You’re so stubborn! We all know it, so why can’t you just admit what you feel? Are you that afraid of getting hurt?”

“That’s not it.” Roxas shook his head. “Don’t you get it? My heart’s not the only thing on the line here, Ven. This whole business is. We don’t have a plan B. If we lose this place, we lose everything; and how we choose to handle our competition can make or _break_ everything.” 

“What, you really think Vanitas would pretend to have feelings for you just to ruin our shop? I don’t think you’re hearing yourself right now, or you would think you were insane.” Ventus couldn’t believe that _ that _ was the reason Roxas was being like this.

“Maybe I am insane. Maybe Vanitas is exactly how he seems, and he’s just this amazingly wonderful guy. Maybe you’re right and he does like me. Maybe...we _ are _perfect for each other.” Roxas took a deep breath and looked down, avoiding Ven’s gaze. “It doesn’t matter. Even if you’re ninety-nine percent positive about this, that one percent is too risky to bet our business against.”

“So you are admitting it, then. You do like him,” Ven stated, lowering himself to force Roxas to look him in the eyes.

Roxas shook his head again. “If I say it, it’ll be true. And unless I get a definitive reason to trust him, _ one hundred percent_, I can’t let it be true. I just can’t, Ven.”

"Roxas..." 

Before Ventus could press any further, the door opened. Using that as an opportunity to escape, Roxas approached the customer with his normal fake-cheery greeting. 

With a sigh of frustration, Ventus walked to the back of the shop. Slipping out through the back entrance, he headed off to inform Sora of everything that went down. It looked like this was going to be a lot harder than they thought. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So Vani's afraid he's fallen for someone who hates him, and Roxas has some trust issues. Sora and Ven really have it rough :3c


	3. The Worst, Truly

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sora is given the perfect chance to do what he's best at.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I finished this at 5 in the freaking morning on a school night and then proceeded to take five years to edit it and I will bet $1000 dollars there's still at least ten mistakes.

When Ventus finally made his way around the shop to the main street, he was met with the sight of Sora awkwardly creeping his way down the sidewalk opposite to him.

“Sora? What are you doing?” Ven asked.

Sora jolted and looked up with the full panic of a student whose teacher just asked “what are you holding” while they were cheating on a test. 

“H-Hey Rox, I, uh. Nothing! Nothing at all. Don’t look across the street!” Sora ran over, grabbed Ventus by the wrist and dragged him down the street. Ven followed along in a daze until it dawned on him what Sora just said. 

“Sora, hold on! It’s just me,” he said, pulling his wrist free of Sora’s grip. 

“Just...oh.” Sora’s eyes went wide. “Ven I am _ so _sorry.” 

Ventus only laughed. “It’s fine. Honestly though, Sora, you _knew _I was wearing this.” 

Sora looked off to the side, scratching his cheek and chuckling. “I know, I know. I just panicked. I thought you would still be in there.” 

“About that...Vanitas kicked me out.” 

“What?” Sora looked at him, stunned. “Why?”

“I’ll tell you about it at the café,” Ven said. “By the way, it’s great to know that if Roxas had walked out while that was going on, _ that _would’ve been how you handled it. What were you doing over here anyways?” 

“Umm. I had to use the bathroom, and the café guy wouldn’t let me use the one there unless I bought something, but I wanted to wait for you before ordering anything so...I snuck into the shop from the back entrance to use ours.” 

“Sora!” 

“I had no other options, Ven! I was gonna burst!”

“I’m just glad you didn’t get caught. Come on, I’ve got a long story to tell you.” 

**…**

By the time Ventus finished sharing how their most recent scheme went, Sora had spat his coffee out three times, and they’d gotten several weird looks from the others in the café. 

“So he could tell that you weren’t Roxas because your eyes weren’t pretty enough and your voice wasn’t nice enough?” 

“Basically.”

Sora banged his head into the table. “I give up. He’s too hopeless.”

“Aw, c’mon Sora. You know we can’t give up on those two. They’re _so close_,” Ventus complained, kicking the other boy under the table. 

“Ugh,” Sora groaned softly. “I know they are, but how do we get them there?” 

“I say we keep pestering them about it,” Ven declared. 

Sora quirked a questioning brow at him. “No offense, Ven, but that hasn’t exactly been working.” 

“No, I mean pester them. Really, _ really _pester them.” 

“Oooh.” Sora nodded along, his eyes brightening as he caught on to what Ven meant. This time he could feel it: their plan would work for sure.

* * *

Vanitas knew he wasn’t the best person; in fact, until recent years it would have been generous to say he was an okay person. He’d done many wrongs, made many mistakes. He’d said things he could never take back, and done things he could never fix. 

But what, for the love of all things holy, ** _what_**_, _did he ever do to deserve this wretched, never-ending torment?

“I know you don’t know him well, but would you mind having Riku as one of your groomsmen at the wedding? You don’t have any other friends, and I’d feel bad leaving him out. Actually could you and Roxas have Kairi and Naminé as bridesmaids? Guys can have bridesmaids right? Oh man, if Xion isn’t in the wedding then Roxas probably won’t marry you at all. You know how those two are.”

Vanitas came _ very _ close to pointing out that, no, he didn’t know how those two were. If he corrected that detail though, then he’d have to address all the other matters: like how he could absolutely have a bridesmaid if he wanted, or how he was not letting that silver-haired tree of a man stand next to him at his wedding. And if he did _ that, _then it would mean he took Sora’s bait and actually entertained the idea of getting married. He would sooner bite his own tongue off and eat it than let that happen. 

Why did they have to walk to work together, anyways? Vanitas had tried to wake up early and sneak out before Sora got up so he could have a peaceful walk to himself, but leave it to that demon child to anticipate he’d try that and wake up even _ earlier_. 

For days now Sora had been badgering him nonstop about Roxas. Not that the brunette hadn’t done that plenty enough before, but recently it had gotten so much worse. He would talk about it first thing when they woke up in the morning. He would talk about it while Vanitas was making breakfast. He would talk about it while getting ready to go to work. It didn’t matter if Vanitas was eating, sleeping, showering, talking on the phone, making flower arrangements, _ using the freaking bathroom_. Sora was always right there to talk his ear off about Roxas. 

It was becoming unbearable. It wasn’t like Vanitas didn’t know exactly what Sora was doing, either. He knew damn well that his brother was trying to annoy him into talking to Roxas. The little brat probably thought that if he kept it up long enough, Vanitas would actually swallow his pride, admit his feelings, and risk humiliation and heartbreak solely to shut him up. 

Nothing pissed Vanitas off like the fact that Sora was _ right._

“You know, if you were married then you could probably run a shop together. Then you wouldn’t have to worry about the whole competition thing. Oh, and think of the money you’d save if you guys just made your own flower arrangements for the center pieces! Oh oh, and—”

“That’s it! God damn it Sora, you win! You win okay just please, _ please _I am begging you to stop talking,” Vanitas all but sobbed, tugging at his hair in frustration. 

“Wait...really?” Sora eyed him suspiciously, as if expecting this to be some ruse to make him shut up for at least a minute. It could be, Vanitas realized. He could pretend to give up to buy himself an hour of peace before Sora caught on to his lie. Except then he’d have to go back to that incessant yammering immediately afterwards. 

“Yes, really. At this point I would stab my first child if it would make you stop,” Vanitas groaned. 

“Dude, too graphic,” Sora whined, a grossed-out look on his face. “But really, you’ll do it?” 

“I’ll apologize first thing when we get there, I promise.” 

Vanitas wanted to strangle Sora when he held up his pinky and stared at Vanitas expectantly. At least if Sora had asked him to sign a contract or swear a blood oath, Vanitas could still double cross him without guilt. Only a monster breaks a pinky promise though. Cursing himself mentally, Vanitas interlocked his own pinky with Sora’s.

* * *

Not for the first time this week, Roxas found his mind wandering to ways he could kill Ventus without getting caught. He figured at family gatherings he could always call and say Ven was sick or something and couldn’t make it. Every now and then he could show up, pretend to be Ven, tell everyone that “oh, you know how Roxas is. He didn’t feel like coming this time.” No one ever even needed to know Ventus was dead. 

“I know you’re trying to kill me by looking at me, and I hope you know that my ghost will continue to follow you around until you kiss that boy.” Of course Ventus had to go and ruin his blissful fantasizing.

“I would rather kiss a frog.” 

“I’d love to take the time to mock you for implying that you’re a princess, but back to the matter at hand.” _ Here he goes again. _“Kiss him kiss him kiss him kiss him kiss him kiss him!” 

The longer Ventus went on, the less it sounded like actual words. Good. Easier to ignore. Sadly, it seemed that his brother was smarter than expected, and within two minutes he noticed that Roxas wasn’t listening anymore and changed tactics. 

“Just imagine it, Roxy. The two of you, alone in the storage room. You’re all nervous because you haven’t kissed anybody before. Because you’re kind of a loser. But then he’s pulling you closer and leaning in, and suddenly all you can think about is how badly you want to feel his lips against yours, so then you—” 

“Aaaah! Stop it stop it stop it! You are _ so _embarrassing oh my god I hate you,” Roxas shouted, clamping his hands over his ears. He didn’t know what was worse, having to listen to Ven’s crappy narrating, or the fact that he actually started picturing it. “Being related to you is the most cruel and unusual punishment this universe has ever inflicted upon me, Ventus.” 

“Funny, I was thinking the same thing about you. Anyways, as I was saying,” Ventus went to continue his story, and Roxas pressed his hands more firmly against his ears. 

When they reached their shop, Ventus was still going, and despite his best efforts, Roxas heard it all. He knew he was blushing wildly, and that Ventus would make fun of him for it until the day he died. If Roxas thought about it, this was all Vanitas’s fault. If he wasn’t so stupidly attractive, then Roxas wouldn’t be having this problem.

Roxas had to uncover his ears in order to open the door to the shop (not that it’d been helping anyways), yet, as soon as he turned around and looked across the street, he didn’t hear a word out of Ven’s mouth. 

“Ven...stop talking,” Roxas said. 

“Rox, you know that’s not gonna work.”

“No, seriously. Just...stop. Turn around.” 

Ven spun on his heel to see what had his brother so stunned, and just about felt his jaw hit the ground when he did.

Across the street, in the display window, was a row of blue hyacinths and white orchids with a heart made of roses hanging above it. If the very clear and blatant message of “I’m sorry” wasn’t enough to have Roxas’s heart threatening to break out of his chest, the _giant rose heart_ sure was. There was no other way to interpret it. For once in his life Roxas _wished _there was a simple and heterosexual explanation for what he was seeing, but alas, there was not. 

“I think...I should go over there. I should, right?” Roxas asked, his frustration with his brother completely forgotten. 

“I think you should, buddy,” Ventus agreed, giving Roxas a gentle shove in the right direction. 

After taking a deep breath, Roxas made his way into his rival’s shop. 

“Do you mean it?” was the first thing he asked when he stepped in. 

“Wuh?” Vanitas startled, looking up from where he'd been anxiously shredding a page from his notepad. 

“Do you mean it?” Roxas repeated, gesturing to the display. Before Vani could respond, he continued saying “Because if this is a joke to you, it isn’t funny.”

“What? Why the hell would I joke about this?” Vanitas responded, offended by the accusation. 

“I don’t know, to embarrass me if I tried to apologize back? Or maybe…” Roxas thought back to how Ven had been extra annoying lately, and realized that it had likely been a plan he and Sora had come up with. “You’re just doing it because Sora forced you to.” 

“Hey, I was trying to do something _ nice_. You can’t just come in here and start interrogating me!” Vanitas left his spot behind the counter to stand in front of Roxas and glare down at him. 

“What, are you trying to intimidate me now? You know, if you were going to lie and pretend to feel bad, the _ least _you could have done was not be so freaking over the top with it!” Roxas spat. Maybe he got on his tiptoes to level things out, but no one had to know. “A half-hearted sorry would have been less offensive.”

Roxas turned to storm out, and was pissed when he was grabbed by the back of his shirt and dragged back in. 

“Where do you think you’re going? Believe it or not, Roxas, I didn’t put in this much effort just to screw with you. _ Or _ to shut Sora up for that matter.” Vanitas whirled Roxas around and forced him to look at him. “If you would’ve shut the hell up and let me _ talk, _I was going to say that I really am sorry for what a complete and total asshole I’ve been to you!” 

“Oh,” Roxas murmured dumbly, not expecting that response. What was he supposed to say to that? 

“Well okay, Sora was the one who convinced me to finally _ say _ I’m sorry, but I still mean it. Honestly I’ve been wanting to apologize since day one, but…” Vanitas looked down, biting his lip and picking at the skin around his nails. “Actually, I don’t have a good excuse.”

Roxas frowned. Since day one? That didn’t make any sense. “If you felt that bad, why’d you start all this in the first place?”

“It’s stupid,” Vanitas admitted, sighing quietly. Roxas watched as Vani walked away to absentmindedly rearrange the flowers in a vase across the room. It almost seemed like he was too embarrassed to look at Roxas while he explained himself. “The first day when we were setting up the shop, Sora tried to be helpful and put up the display. But, you know, he doesn’t actually know anything about flowers...” 

Vanitas didn’t need to explain further than that for the pieces to click together in Roxas’s head. “So it was an accident.” The words came out as more of a statement than a question. 

“Mhmm.” Vanitas nodded. “I was going to say sorry the next day, but before I could, you ended up retaliating. Not that I blame you, I would’ve done the same thing. It’s just...afterwards I’d hoped that you’d be an asshole so I could feel justified in harassing you instead of admitting that I screwed up. So then I did it back, and, well, you know how it went from there.”

“Yeah.” Roxas felt like banging his head into the wall. He suddenly felt exceedingly stupid for wasting so much time on this pointless war they had going on. 

“It was easier at first when I could pretend you were awful, but then I started paying attention. I saw how nice you are to everyone you meet, and how you always chase after Sora whenever he makes deliveries to check that his arrangements look right. You’re so amazing, and it made me so mad.” 

“Sorry?” Roxas felt his heart flutter. He wasn’t prepared for so much praise, especially not from someone he admired as much as he did.

“Not mad at you,” Vanitas clarified. “I was pissed because I managed to make the most perfect person in the _ world _hate me, and I didn’t know how to fix it. The longer I went without saying anything, the more sure I was that if I tried to talk to you I’d only make you even angrier with me. I already knew you hated me, but I didn’t think I could handle hearing you actually say it.” 

“Vani…” Even though Ven had told him so, it never truly occurred to Roxas how broken up Vanitas was over the thought that he hated him. Sure he didn’t want the other to know that he _ liked _ him, but he didn’t want him to think he _ hated _him. Roxas sure as hell didn’t mean to hurt him this badly. 

“I don’t expect you to forgive me, and you don’t have to say anything if you don’t want to; but I do want you to know that I’m serious when I say I am so sorry for everything I’ve put you through.” This time Vanitas forced himself to look directly at Roxas while he spoke, if only to prove that he was being sincere. 

“You know,” Roxas began with a smile, startling Vanitas by walking up and hugging him. “That’s all I ever wanted to hear.”

It was Vani’s turn to be confused, and his arms hung uselessly by his sides while Roxas held onto him tighter. “Seriously?”

Roxas nodded. “I never hated you, Vanitas. I haven’t even really been mad at you since the first week. Truth is, I always kinda liked you. Still do.” He laughed as he pulled back, taking in the look of utter astonishment on Vanitas’s face. He was beginning to understand for himself how ridiculous the both of them had been acting this whole time, and he could no longer blame Ventus for getting as frustrated as he did with them. 

“I...why in the _ hell _would you like me?” Vanitas sputtered. 

“You know I work across the street from you, right? I can see you everyday. You’re a lot nicer to people than you pretend you are.” Roxas smiled fondly at how Vani’s face started turning pink. “Besides that, even if it usually was to insult me, you’ve got one hell of a sense of humor, and your flower arrangements are kind of, I dunno, spectacular? Not to mention all the great things I heard about you from Sora.” The longer he spoke, the more embarrassed Roxas started to feel. Did he really just say _ spectacular? _ It was one thing to think about how much he liked Vanitas, but saying it out loud—and _ to his face _—was a special kind of humiliating that had Roxas considering turning around, sprinting out of the shop, and hiding until he died. 

As if Roxas wasn’t feeling self-conscious enough, Vanitas broke down laughing almost as soon as he finished talking. He was about to shout something in his defense, but then Vanitas held up a hand to stop him. 

“I’m not laughing at you, I swear,” Vani gasped out. “I’m laughing at _ me_. I am officially never allowed to call Sora an idiot again. Fuck, he’s been telling me for how long now that I should talk to you? But I was too scared. And yet, this whole time…” Vanitas took a deep breath, his laughter dying down to a soft chuckle and a smile breaking out across his face. “You liked me. You actually liked me.” 

Roxas found himself laughing, too. “Yeah, I did. Oh my god, Ven has been telling me to talk to you for ages, but I thought _ you _ hated _ me. _I must have been driving him insane.” 

“Tell me about it. Sora tried telling me that you liked me, and I went off on him for how wrong he was.”

They both started laughing again, and Roxas had to clutch his stomach from how much it hurt. This wasn’t at all how he pictured this confrontation going, but it felt good. They finally put their feelings out in the open, and in a weird way, it was nice looking back and laughing at themselves for how absurd they were.

“We’re terrible,” Roxas said. 

“The worst, truly,” Vanitas concurred. After a moment’s pause, he looked at Roxas expectantly and asked, “So?”

“So what?” 

“Are you just gonna tell me you like me, or are you gonna ask me out?” Vanitas specified with a smirk. 

“Hey, you just said you were sorry. You never actually said you liked me back,” Roxas stated defensively, crossing his arms. 

“Roxas. I made a giant heart out of roses for you. If you can’t put two and two together from that, I’m starting to have second thoughts about dating you,” Vanitas teased. 

“Point taken,” Roxas conceded. “Fine then, you colossal asshole, will you go out with me?” 

“Wow, how charming.” Vanitas feigned annoyance, but his smile gave him away. “Is that any way to talk to your boyfriend?”

“Heh, so that’s a yes then?” 

“What do you think?” 

Roxas rolled his eyes, then, after a brief pause to make sure it was okay, leaned in to kiss his new boyfriend. 

“Finally!” 

Both boys jumped when the shop door slammed open, a very smug looking Ventus on the other side. 

“V-Ven? How long have you been there?” Roxas stammered, eyes wide. The only feeling rivaling the crushing embarrassment he felt was the growing rage because _ dammit Ventus I didn't actually kiss him yet. _

“Oh, you know. The whole time.” Ventus shrugged. “Could you two possibly be any more awkward, by the way? That almost hurt to watch.” 

“He’s right, you know. I got secondhand embarrassment from that.” Sora’s voice sounded as he emerged from the back room.

“Oh great, you were spying on us too?” Vanitas sighed. 

“Annoying you for the past week has been exhausting for me, too, you know. It was only fair I got to see how it worked out,” Sora said matter-of-factly. 

“To think a moment ago I was feeling guilty for making you two deal with us. Turns out _ you _guys are the worst.” Roxas grimaced, resisting the urge to deck the unwanted spectators in their faces.

“Aw, but Rox, they’ve been so helpful. It’s only fair they get to see the results of all their work,” Vanitas said, an evil look in his eyes. 

Roxas grinned. “You know what? You’re absolutely right. I’m sorry.” 

Without wasting another second, Roxas launched himself forwards for a kiss—one that actually connected this time—which was quickly reciprocated. 

"Okay, we get the point! You two are gross," Ven resigned.

It didn’t take long for he and Sora to get extremely uncomfortable, and as soon as they could hear those two leave, Vanitas and Roxas broke apart laughing again. 

“We really should thank them for helping us later,” Roxas pointed out, feeling slightly guilty for messing with their brothers like that. 

“Yeah, I know. But you have to admit, that was fun.” 

“We really are the worst.”

“Maybe so, but that just makes us perfect for each other.” 

“Can’t argue with that.”

There was a pause, a few chuckles, and then they were hugging again. 

"Promise me one thing?" Vanitas requested. 

"What's that?" 

"Be honest with me about how you're feeling, okay? So I can make sure I'm doing my best to make you happy." 

A whole new wave of affection crashed down on Roxas, and he felt his adoration for this idiot overflowing.

"Only if _ you _promise the same," Roxas affirmed. "Oh, and that you'll admit when you're wrong from now on." 

"Heh. Seeing as that will never be the case, you've got yourself a deal," Vani agreed. 

"Care to seal it with a kiss?" 

"Ew, you're a dork."

"This from the man who made the rose heart?" Roxas mocked, then quickly kissed Vanitas before he could come up with a clever comeback. 

It took them a while to get there, but when all was said and done, in this war, they were both winners. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> that was bad and I should feel bad  
(oh and Vani isn't really that tall I just refuse to believe that there exists a world in which he isn't wearing obnoxiously thick soled shoes)


End file.
